How to qualify for an Australian Parent visa

When you apply for an Australian Parent visa there are certain criteria that need to be met. All visa applicants need to meet the health and good character requirements, but Parent visa applicants also need to meet the balance of family test, have a sponsor and meet the Assurance of Support requirement. 

Read more: Which is the best Australian parent visa for you?

Balance of family test

For all parent visas, except the subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, you must satisfy the balance of family test. In simple terms, you must have at least 50% of your children residing in Australia. They must be permanent residents or citizens and must have lived in Australia for at least two years. 

When doing the balance of family test, you need to take into consideration all the children of everyone applying. If you're a single applicant, then it’s simple as you will only count your children. But if you're applying with a partner, then the children of both applicants need to be taken into account, including any children from previous relationships.

The age of the applicant

If you're applying from within Australia, it is a requirement that the main applicant must be 67 years of age or older at the time of application. The age of your partner is not of any consequence.

If you’re applying from outside of Australia, you must be over 18 years old.

Assurance of Support (AoS)

One of the requirements for many parent visas is that you must have a sponsor. Generally, your sponsor is your child and must be aged 18 or older. The AoS is a bond that is paid to the Australian government by your sponsor and is only requested towards the end of visa processing, just prior to visa approval.

This bond is used by the government in case there is a circumstance where the Parent visa applicants need to draw upon public funds. This could be housing support or other types of benefits drawn from the government. It is held for a period of 10 years for contributory visas and four years for non-contributory visas, and whatever is not used, is given back to you after that time.

Other criteria

The health and good character requirements are mandatory for all applicants. This means that you will need to attend a medical examination and provide police checks as part of the application process.

The health requirement is in place to protect the Australian community from public health and safety risks, such as tuberculosis for example. It also helps the government control how much they spend on services such as social security benefits, allowances and pensions and ensures that Australian citizens and permanent residents can access health and community services that are in short supply.

Read more: Can you pass Australia's good character requirement?

Australian parent visa criteria

Considering moving to Australia on a parent visa? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at migration@sableinternational.com or by calling +27 (0) 21 657 1526.

Our registered migration agents can offer you expert advice and representation for joining your family and gaining permanent residency in Australia.

You can also take our free Australian visa assessment.